Recently, Jack Cafferty said something in his
program to arouse the discontent of the Chinese people. The
citizens as well as the government are pressuring CNN to apologize.
In recent days, the role of CNN (fuck his mother) has been less than
laudable. If they really wanted to make criticisms, it would be
alright. But the key point is that they have been telling
bold-faced lies and that is intolerable.

The Chinese people have a love-and-hate
relationship with the western media. Sometimes, the western media
reveal certain truths about China that even make the angry young people
applaud and force the government to make the right changes. As
time goes by, we began to treat them as the straw that we grasp at when
our lives are in danger. We feel that they always say the right
things, which the mainland Chinese media cannot do. But the media
are the media. We naively believe that they will help us.
But they will only speak for themselves, not you. Any media worker
knows that the nature of journalism is not to reveal the truth but to
mislead.

Two years ago, I shut down my blog and I told
the Southern Weekend reporter: "All the media in the world are a waste
of time." Prior to that, I was interviewed by more than a dozen
foreign media organizations. After the interviews got published,
it took one glance from me to see that they did not write what I meant
to say. I can understand that because I am a reporter too. I
know that it is a basic function for a reporter to take people's words
out of context to suit my purpose. Later on, I declined
interviews. I can talk to them for hours, but it is pointless
because the speech right stays in their hands.

When western reporters interview Chinese people,
they want to hear something sensitive and explosive. Then they
mould you into a political dissident. This gives them a sense of
achievement because you are standing on their side. Otherwise
their story would not have as much news value.

I did not have a good impression of Reuters.
When I was making the film <The Adventures of Xiao Qiang>, Reuters sent
a female reporter to cover the story. She stayed with us until
past 11pm, but she never interviewed anyone during this whole time.
She went back and wrote an extremely off-base report. I did not
know whether to laugh or cry. I called her to ask for corrections,
but the repeated revisions did not satisfy me. Michael Anti told
me that I was lucky because Reuters was willing to make revisions.
I said that this was nonsense. I was not happy with their
reporting. I cannot jump up like Huang Jianxiang and accuse the
reporter of "over-interpretation" because people would accuse me of
self-promotion and hyping. But if you screw around with me, I can
screw around with you too. I know that Reuters was fastest in
reporting and they also paid close attention to my blog. So I shut
the blog down and watched how they reacted.

They fell for the ruse. Then I re-opened
the blog again. At the time, that was all that I could do.
Nothing else would have worked. Several days later, the director
of Reuters' Beijing bureau called me early in the morning. Fuck,
you don't interview people when you are supposed to and you want to
interview people when you are not supposed to. Why should I agree?
So I turned him down and went back to catch up on my sleep.

Among the western reporters that I have made
contact with, some of them will report on things based upon the
professional code of journalists. But there are other reporters
who do so based completely on their own subjective judgment. It
does not matter what you say to them. They don't understand China,
they are not interested in understanding China, they are just doing
their job and their work is done when they turn in a report.
Whether the report is objective and fair is of secondary importance,
because the main thing is whether the report fits their news values.
If the foreign correspondents are like that, it is only too normal for
Jack Cafferty to say those stupid things.

When Beijing applied to host the Olympics, we
said that "an open China looks towards the Olympics" so that the world
can understand China. But the other people have no interest in
understanding China. You can see this from the bungled Olympic
torch relays. They have no interest in understanding China.
It does not matter how well you do your work. They are not
interested.

On my bookshelf, there are a lot of journalism
books written by Americans. When you read this book, you get this
vision. You see how awesome their theories of journalism are:
freedom of press, objectivity and fairness ... These are textbooks
written by experts and include case studies. The authors are not
biased. Their spirit for journalism are worthy for us to emulate.
But at the same time, it cannot be denied that many foreign
correspondents are hacks trying to eke out a living.

The foreign media sometimes say some very stupid
things, as is the case for Jack Cafferty. You ask them to
apologize, and they will strike a posture that looks like an apology
because there are more interests entailed in the background. After
considering the interests trade-offs, they will apologize. But
this does not mean that they will not say more ridiculous and stupid
things again in the future. It is very easy for them to do so
because all they have to do is open their mouths.

Each time that you put your hope on the western
media, they will spit in your face.

(Eastday)
But what words came out of her mouth? Jin Jing has just said
publicly that netizens should be very careful about the call to boycott
Carrefour, because that company employs many Chinese employees who would
be hurt by any boycott.

(ProState in Flames) Here is a sampling of responses by
netizens over at the NetEase forum:

What kinda fart is Jin Jing! She is
helping Carrefour. I think that she is a Chinese traitor.

What kinda person is Jin Jing? You give
her a little color, and she thinks that she can run a dye mill.

First, she lost her leg. Now she has lost
her mind.

The interests of a number of Chinese employees
cannot be as important as the interests of a nation. There is no
need to worry about them. It is important to let the world that
China cannot be bullied.

Fuck! Boycott Carrefour! Even if we
have to starve to death, we must ruin Carrefour.

Many workers who got laid off get new jobs
immediately. What is the difference? People who work there
are abetting the enemy.

She went to France just once and now she thinks
that she is French. Jin Jing speaks like a Chinese traitor with no
brain. No wonder she got fired from her job.

Who is Jin Jing? Is she famous or
something? If she does not want to join the boycott, she does not
have to. But why come out and speak? Does she want to be
cursed out?

Who the fuck is Jin Jing? Never heard of
her before. She better disappear immediately, or she will die with
her body in more than one piece.

Jin Jing??? An uncultured brainless cunt!!!
She wants to be a torch bearer. I strong urge everybody to take
her torch away by force!!!!

Jin Jing? Athletes have strong bodies but
feeble minds. Carrefour has to pay their employees even if there
is no business. If they can't meet payroll, they have to sell
their assets until they eventually close shop.

The answer is very simple. Jin Jing must
have been paid off by the French.

A cripple becomes famous by accident and now she
has no idea who she is. So she is now spewing feces from her
mouth.

Fuck! You are getting raped but all you
think about is getting enough to eat ...

Stop fucking bullshitting. Any torch
bearer would have protected the torch in that situation. This is
the duty of everyone and there is nothing more to be said. When
the Chinese people offer you some praise, you begin to think that you
are some kind of goddess. It is not your fault to lose your leg,
but it is worse to become brain-dead.

Chinese traitor Jin Jing, your cancerous cells
must have moved to your brain!

[029] Taiwan By
The Numbers (04/19/2008) (TVBS)
(1,092 persons age 20 years or older interviewed April 14-15, 2008)

Q1. Taiwan vice-president-elect Vincent
Siew attended the Boao Forum in mainland China and met with mainland China
chairman Hu Jintao. Overall, are you satisfied with the performance
of Vincent Siew:54%: Yes
13%: No
33%: No opinion

Q2. Overall, do you think that attendance
of Vincent Siew at the Boao Forum a success?54%: Yes
11%: No
35%: No opinioN

Q3. Do you think that Vincent Siew's
attendance at the Boao Forum demeaned Taiwan?28%: Yes
46%: No
26%: No opinion

Q4. If the opportunity arises, do you
approve Ma Ying-jeou meeting with Hu Jintao when he becomes president
officially?67%: Approve
16%: Disapprove
18%: No opinion

Yesterday, I went to read all the comments over
at ifeng.com, including the abusive ones. Today, I was unable to
do so because there were just far too many abusive comments.
However, I have found out that the abusive comments contain the
following problems:

1. They are uncreative

The lack of creativity is manifested in the huge
number of repetitions which recycle what others have already said.
But it is unfair for me to condemn the netizens and hold them
responsible. I regard this as an inevitable consequence of our
educational system which suppresses creativity. The lack of
creativity makes the system more manageable.

There is nothing creative about the boycott.
Since the 1930's, boycotts have made no progress in the hearts and minds
of the Chinese people no matter how time and space have changed.
By comparison, the Chinese in the 1939's were more outstanding.
When they began to boycott Japanese goods, they took all the Japanese
products in their homes and incinerated them. We don't see that
kind of scene in the more recent boycotts of Japanese goods. We
don't see people smashing their Canon cameras, setting their Peugeots on
fire, or shredding their LV handbags. But it is not correct to say
that there is no creativity whatsoever, because the boycotting netizens
to today do not lack passion in destroying the possessions of others.
For example, during the anti-Japanese demonstrations of 2005, they
smashed Japanese cars and restaurants -- the fact was that most of the
restaurant owners were not Japanese. On further thought, this is
normal because it does not break your own heart to smash someone else's
property.

2. They focus on my looks.

There are two main aspects. First of all,
they say that I look like a dog or a pig. I have to speak up on
behalf of the dogs and pigs: "This is something among you humans,
so do not get us animals involved. Even though you humans are
sometimes worse than dogs and pigs, we pigs have pigs' rights and we
dogs have dogs' rights!" That is to say, if you don't stand in
someone else's place, you should not speak about how they feel.
Just because The Three Represents surrounds you all the time does not
mean that you can represent others. I was born in the Year of the
Pig, and so I am happy that you say that I look like a pig. What
other animal is happier than the pig which can eat, sleep and oink all
day?

On the other side, some people do not like my
beard. They even said that I have more pubic hair than facial
hair. Here, I have to clarify that this is mere subjective
speculation. A popular saying is that an abundance of hair means
strong sexual desires. For girl-chasing purposes, I have to admit
that I have lots of hair. Since I don't have good looks and I am
not classy, so I cannot afford to destroy my only point of pride.
Like other netizens, I have no compunction about destroying what belongs
to others but I feel pain about losing something of my own. But no
matter how much pubic hair I have, it is less than what I have on my
face. Ordinarily speaking, beards will grow without trimming but
the pubic hair is unlikely to grow further below the knees on its own.
Therefore, I must express my contempt at those who are ignorant about
general biological knowledge. Whether you want to debate or abuse
someone, a basic premise is that you must respect the facts. Right
or not?

3. They want to pay respect to my family or else
they are concerned about my upbringing.

That is not cool. I can deal with your
being mad over what I say, but there is no need to curse out my family.
What did they ever do to you? Right, just as you don't want people
to say things about your family, you should not be saying things about
other people's families. I am supposedly a liberal (even though
some people call me a faux liberal but that is unimportant).
The spirit of liberalism is individualism which implies a respect for
self-determination by an individual. Respect for
self-determination by an individual conveys the basic values including
diversity, tolerance, freedom, justice, equality and so on. Damn,
why am I reciting from the book?

As for my upbringing, I don't have to explain
that I don't seem to look like a Frenchman. I don't know if there
was any misogyny among my ancestors. I can check with my father.
If my father does not know, I can consult the family tree archives.
If the archives are inconclusive, I can do a DNA test. I won't say
anything that I am unsure about, especially during a quarrel. I
will not fabricate things, and I am sure that netizens won't do so
either.

Please do not believe in sayings such as "a
dragon gives birth to another dragon, a phoenix gives birth to another
phoenix and a rat gives birth to a progeny who knows how to dig holes."
That is known as the "bloodline" theory. Many years ago, Yu Luoke
wrote the essay <About Background Origin> to refute this theory.
Unfortunately, he was sentenced to death on March 5, 1970 at the Beijing
Workers Sports Stadium and the sentence was carried out immediately.
At the time, he was about the same age as you are (at 27 years old) and
ten years younger than I am. I truly believe that if this were to
happened today, he would be sentenced to at most three years six months,
just like the person who was sentenced to that prison term length and
whose name is the same as a certain swim diver. According to his
lawyers, they were not allowed to meet with him and an appeal could not
be filed. So that was bad. As the even more ancient Voltaire
said: "I don't agree with what you say, I will defend your right to
speak to death."

[026] Carrefour
in Shenzhen (04/19/2008) (China.com)
(photos taken at 13:00 April 18, 2008)

"We protest strongly against shameless France for supporting the Tibetan
splittists to attack our paralympic torch bearer.
We boycott French goods strongly and we call for all Chinese persons with
conscience to take action and boycott Carrefour,
starting with myself. Thank!"

"Go, China! Oppose Tibet splittism!"

[025] Carrefour
in Hefei (04/19/2008) (Huashi Times via Wenxue City) "Mountain of people, sea
of people" in front of the Carrefour in Hefei city, Anhui province.

On Aprl 16, a dozen people showed up to protest
in front of the Carrefour store in the city of Kunming, Yunnan province.
A citizen named Zhu said aloud, "Why are you boycotting Carrefour?
The majority of the products in Carrefour are Chinese products ... this
is irrational." He was immediately denounced as "Nation-betraying
traitor!" and then jostled around by the protestors. Someone even
threw a mineral water bottle at him.

On April 17, more than 200 people showed up at
the Carrefour store again. They used large five-star national
flags to block the two entrances and showered looks of contempt upon the
citizens who enter and exit the store. Mr. Song led the
slogan-chanting and he was angry at the fact that people were still
shopping at Carrefour while they were demonstrating: "They are
cold-hearted." That was why he was using the flags to block entry.

Meanwhile, four other netizens showed up at
around 10pm and unfurled a banner: "Build harmony, oppose boycott" and
"built a harmonious environment to welcome the 2008 Olympics."
They distributed a proposal to citizens: ""We try to attract foreign
investors to build up the economy in Kunming, so the boycott of foreign
companies creates the impression that the investment environment in
Kunming is still immature ..." The letter by the four netizens.

These four netizens encountered opposition.
An old man yelled angrily at them: "Down with Chinese traitors!"
He was applauded by quite a few spectators. The old man then took
out his Nikon camera and said, "I'm going to take your photo and post it
on the Internet, so that all the Chinese people can see what Chinese
traitors look like!" The police showed up but they did not stop
the demonstration. They only reminded the four netizens that a
dissenter was assaulted the day before and therefore caution should be
exercised.

In psychology, there is the term: the Stockholm
syndrome. Today, many mainland Chinese situations such as the
nationalism and the various actions taken by the angry young people fit
this famous social psychological phenomenon.

In 1973, there was a bank robbery in Stockholm
(Sweden). Three female and one male bank workers were held hostage
by two robbers for six days. After the police made the rescue,
three of the hostages not only refused to help the police but did
everything they could to help the robbers escape. After the
robbers were arrested and charged, these hostages refused to testify in
court. They even raised money to cover the legal expenses of the
robbers. Sweden was shocked by what happened!

Social psychologists analysed these three
hostages and found out that they had been held captive in a high
pressure environment under constant threat of death with periodic small
favors doled out by the robbers. Since they did not know if they
will ever get out alive, their psychological states of mind underwent a
subtle change. They began to placate the captors, they became
sympathetic towards them, they identified with them and they depended
psychologically on them. The experts gave this phenomenon the name
"Stockholm syndrome." The victims gradually lose their sense of
self and adhered completely to the viewpoint of the captors. In
other words, they did not want freedom anymore; when help came, they
declined; instead, they turned against that help.

Does this sound familiar? In the first 30
years of the Chinese Communist rule, there were continuous political
movements. Society was in a high-pressure political environment in
which everybody's lives were controlled by a small number of government
officials. This reign of terror was pervasive. Even today,
dissidents such as Hu Jia can be punished severely. As a result,
people became psychologically twisted. They developed a strong
dependency on authority. In the end, even if society became freer
and more open, and they can even go to the free world outside, they
still try to defend this government!

In the recent Tibet affair, nationalism was
boiling over in mainland China. The Chinese Internet was swamped
by denunciations against the western media for rumormongering.
There were cursing, even issuing threats against the western reporters.
Reporters from CNN, The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY and Associated
Press had been invited by the Chinese government to visit Tibet, and
then they received harassing telephone calls, SMS and email. One
of the email to AP said: "The Chinese people do not welcome American
running dogs like you. Your reports distort the facts.
You will be damned by the heavens." Another SMS said: "I'm going
to kill you one day."

Earlier, there was an anti-CNN movement in
mainland China, and the reason was dissatisfaction with the smears
against China and the distortions of facts. Why have these
anti-western sentiments become mainstream Internet opinion? Why
are there so many people who "don't understand the truth"? I
believe that the netizens who are cursing and threatening are mostly
ordinary citizens or just angry young people (except for a small number
of Internet police with ulterior motives). They watch CCTV or read
other relevant news in mainland media about the "smear" jobs carried out
by western media, they get angry and they retaliate. Most of them
are truly sincere about what they do.

The problem is, Why are they so trusting in the
official mouthpieces? Is this the result of many years of
indoctrination and propaganda?

These netizens live in a high-pressure political
environment. Even the young people know more or less about the
sufferings of the previous generations. With the long-term
information blockage, could their psychological states of mind have been
altered? Did they change from being victims to being sympathetic
with their persecutors, the Chinese Communist authorities, to the point
that they will rise to defend the latter? Isn't this the Stockholm
syndrome?

Actually, the easiest way to determine the truth
of the media reports is to remove the restrictions on news gathering in
Tibet, Gansu, Sichuan and other areas where Tibetans live.
Reporters from mainland China and elsewhere should be allowed to come
and go as they please while being responsible for their own personal
safety. In the war against terror in Afghanistan, the two wars in
Iraq and the armed clashes in Palestine, those were dangerous
environments in which war reporters were allowed to work. So why
not Tibet?

Of course, people whose mind and behavior have
been severely distorted may not be able to accept the truth. They
would rather stay in the prison that they created for themselves.
They depend psychologically on the "robbers" and they entrust their
personal safety to the "robbers"! The Tibet incident shows us
painfully just how long and winding is the road that China still has to
travel in order to become a civilized society and join the rest of the
world!

Q2. On May 2, Hong Kong will be the first stop
for the Olympic torch relay within China. Will you be in the streets
to watch the torch relay?47.5%: No
37.7%: Possibly
12.9%: Definitely
1.8%: Don't know/undecided

Q3. Is the reason why you want to watch the
Olympic torch relay to express your support for China hosting the
Olympics? (Base: Those who answered 'possibly' and 'definitely' in Q2) 9.1%: No
88.6%: Yes
2.3%: Don't know/hard to say

Q4. Do you hope that the Olympic torch relay
will come through successfully in Hong Kong? 0.2%: No
98.2%: Yes
1.1%: Don't care
0.5%: Don't know/hard to say

Q5. Some people think that the Beijing
Olympics is a rare opportunity for the Chinese people, so we must do
everything to support it. Do you agree? 2.1%: Extremely disagree
5.9%: Disagree
54.6%: Agree
37.7%: Extremely agree
1.8%: Don't know/hard to say

Q6. Other people think that the Beijing
Olympics is a good opportunity to apply pressure on Beijing to improve
human rights conditions in China as well as the Tibet issue. Do you
agree?18.4%: Extremely disagree
51.6%: Disagree
19.5%: Agree
2.0%: Extremely agree
8.6%: Don't know/hard to say

Q7. Some foreign groups are proposing to
boycott the Beijing Olympics in order to pressure Beijing to improve human
rights conditions in China as well as the Tibet issue. Do you agree?27.6%: Extremely disagree
59.6%: Disagree
6.7%: Agree
0.8%: Extremely agree
5.4%: Don't know/hard to say

Q8. Suppose there is a group or
organization in Hong Kong demanding foreign government to boycott
attendance at the Beijing Olympics in order to force Beijing to improve
human rights conditions. Do you agree?28.9%: Extremely disagree
60.1%: Disagree
5.2%: Agree
0.6%: Extremely agree
5.3%: Don't know/hard to say

Q9. The Beijing Olympics will take place in
August this year. Overall, do you support the Beijing Olympics and
hope that it will take place successfully? 3.9%: Extremely not supportive
1.3%: Not supportive
44.0%: Supportive
49.7%: Extremely supportive
1.1%: Don't know/hard to say

Q10. Are you proud that China is hosting
the Olympics?41.3%: Extraordinarily proud
41.5%: Proud
12.9%: Not proud
2.9%: Not proud at all
1.4%: Don't know/hard to say

Q11. So far, do you feel that the image of
China has changed as a result of its hosting of the Beijing Olympics? 5.7%: Worse
27.9%: No change
59.1%: Better
7.4%: Don't know/hard to say

... When May 1st, come, you go to any Carrefour
store and you suddenly find:

1. The supermarket has large Chinese national
flags and Olympic posters at the front entrance.
2. The Carrefour workers are handling out environment-friendly cloth
bags for free in front of the stores
3. There are large advertisements in the shopping plazas: if you
purchase 100 RMB or more, you will receive a patriotic t-shirt with the
letters: "Tibet is an inseparable part of China.
4. The shopping plazas pronounce that all low-income people can get a
20% income and their purchases will come in bags stamped with "Carrefour
will be with the Chinese people forever."
5. The shopping plaza will be flooded with Carrefour employees who were
hired right after they were laid off elsewhere.

What are you going to do if the above were true?
What can you possibly do?

But you should not feel too disappointed.
Here is a video
that you can use as a home exercise. Please analyze who sang the
song, what is the content, are the photos composed, how are the
sub-titles written, and how the images mesh with the music?
Afterwards, please upload this video onto YouTube. Alternately,
you can assemble contents about what happened in France, render a new
production, add the appropriate French-language sub-titles before
uploading it to YouTube. Personally, I think that it is more
meaningful than proesting at Carrefour.

1. I am going to boycott neither French goods
nor Carrefour. I disagree with the boycott.

2. I am not going to Carrefour on a day when
my compatriots are boycotting Carrefour. If I go to Carrefour
and someone is protesting there, I will leave and go to another
supermarket or come back later.

3. If I go to Carrefour now and that girl
Kitty Shelley
is there raising the placard by herself, I will definitely walk up and
stand by her side.

Now let me tell you about my views on the
boycott:

1. It is a personal attitude or emotion to
boycott (or not). This is personal freedom and also personal
right.

2. To boycott or not is not an issue of
correct versus incorrect, not a standard for right versus wrong, and
not a way of separating people into different groups. If you
stand up to boycott, it means that you show that you either love or
hate something or the other; if you don't stand up to boycott, it does
not mean that you love or hate something or the other.

3. To boycott (or not) does not depend on
whether the boycott is effective and useful. The deed is more
important than the outcome, the voice is more important than the
result.

4. If you don't boycott, you don't need to
provide a reason. If you boycott, you need to have a reason and
you need to find a target to boycott.

5. If you want to boycott the goods from a
certain nation, then that nation must have harmed your nation, your
compatriots or something that you really cared about in the name of
that nation. Examples are the Japanese invasion of China or the
American invasion of Iraq. But the French nation has not really
harmed us in any meaningful way, even though the Olympic torch relay
had been imperfect there.

6. If you want to boycott the products of a
company, then that company must have harmed your nation, your
compatriots, something you cared about or else done something that you
disagree with. Examples are support of terrorist activities or
cruelty against animals. The reason to boycott Carrefour was
said to be because a shareholder donated money to the Dalai Lama.
Even if this is true, it depends on the purpose of that donation.
Unless this was deliberately or especially earmarked for separatist or
violent activities, there is no reason to hold a boycott.

7. If you believe that the government, the
politicians, the performance artistes or any other public figures did
something to harm your nation, your compatriots, something you cared
about or else done something you disagree with, please do not
attribute this to the nation or the people of that nation as a whole.
Against the government and the politicians, you can boycott or
otherwise express your unwelcome when they visit your nation.
Against the performance artistes or public figures, you can boycott
their programs or express you dissatisfaction in some other way.

8. People in other countries have the
right to dislike you and your country. They have the right to
disagree with the viewpoints of you and your country. They have
the right to support the separatists in your county or anyone else
that you don't like. We should respect their rights. We
can condemn their violent acts. If they broke the law, their
national laws will punish them.

9. When you stand in front to Carrefour and
some compatriots enter to make purchases, please do not blame or stop
them. Above all, you should not curse them out because we all
have our own freedom and rights. It is enough that you do what
you can and you have no misgivings.

10. When you go to make a purchase at
Carrefour and you encounter compatriot protestors, you do not have to
join them. But I recommend that you should not swagger in there.
That would hurt your compatriots. You could do as I choose --
you stay away temporarily by switching to a different supermarket or
date.

11. If you don't agree with taking
action to express your patriotism, you do not have to do anything.
But please do not scorn those compatriots who take action. They
are as mentally healthy as you are and they are not "brain-damaged."

12. If you don't want to love this nation (or
at least not at the moment), you do not need any reason. But
please do not make up some reason to explain your position and insult
those compatriots who want to love this country or otherwise stand up
to express their own feelings. They are not "hooligans."
They also want freedom and democracy, and they know what are universal
values.

[018] YouTube
Documentary Films About Eileen Chang (04/17/2008) These
television documentary shows were exhibited once. If you missed them,
you won't see them on television again. That would be a pity because
they really have high production values. But they can now be seen on
YouTube.

[017]
Self-Inflicted Injury (04/17/2008) (Tianya)
Just when Carrefour is facing up to a critical public relations problem,
photos emerged on the Internet that its Hongshanjia (Wuhan) store had lowered
the Chinese national flag to half-mast! This is likely to be
unintentional (because the security guards immediately corrected the situation
after the photos were taken) and it is not even clear that the flags are the
responsibility of Carrefour. But what is the public perception after
these photos are circulated and seen?

He Yanguang is the chief supervisor of photograph at
China Youth Daily and also one of the most famous Chinese
photojouranlists. Bai Yansong is a CCTV program host and one of the
most famous Chinese television personalities.

On April 14, He Yanguang wrote the essay "I oppose
the Carrefour boycott" on his blog and this has been circulated to other
forums. On April 15, Bai Yansong published "Don't use someone else's
mistake to punish yourself" at the Sohu.hom. These two thoughtful
essays were met with vigorous criticisms and abusive condemnations.
But other netizens express their firm support.

Bai Yansong wrote: "I am definitely not going to
Carrefour on May 1st. That is not because of the boycott, but because
I have to be in Sanya to prepare for the coming of the Olympic flame ... It
is up to the individual to decide whether to go to Carrefour on not.
Even if many people don't go due to the boycott, many others will go.
For individuals, their lives should not be interrupted by politics.
Besides, to punish oneself because of the mistake of others is giving those
others too much face." Bai Yansong also believes that "most Carrefour
employees are Chinese, so the boycott is a fight within the family."

Bai's essay also said: "During the Olympic torch
relay, it is true that many westerners were ugly and dreadful ... when a
city hangs out a sign to greet those who were trying to interfere with the
torch relay, how can you believe that they did their best?" But Bai
Yansong said: "The Olympic flame does not belong only to Beijing. It
belongs to everybody in the world. When someone causes trouble, they
are causing trouble for the whole world. We can be more peaceful and
tolerant. If you refuse to get mad and you just continue to do what
you have to do to carry forward the passionate dream implied by the Olympic
torch relay, those troublemakers will be relegated into deep memory as a
bunch of clows. So let us stay calm and tolerant, and give them the
chance to enter history!

Many netizens objected to Bai Yansong's viewpoints,
even heaping abuse on him. A Sanya-based netizen wrote: "After
publishing the above, how dare you to come here to greet the Olympic torch
that carries the patriotic passion of 1.3 billion Chinese people from
various ethnic groups?"

He Yanguang's "I oppose the Carrefour boycott" is
the blog post with the most number of comments in his blog. By 11pm,
there were already 600 replies. Some were rational discussion, some
were sharp criticisms and one netizen wrote: "So there is a French man named
He!"

"I can understand the angr;y feelings. People
of my age have all been angry young people once upon a time ... we were
hot-blooded and loyal, but we ruined the country and almost buried
ourselves," he wrote.

"I would like to tell those friends who are sending
SMS to call for the boycott of Carrefour that I happened to go into that
supermarket yesterday and everything that I bought was made in China.
This supermarket provides employment to several hundred Chinese employees.
Behind the tens of thousands of products on the shelves, there has to be
several million Chinese workers. If this boycott should work, China
will be the first to experience the chaos!"

He Yanguang does not update his blog often.
The previous blog post was written at the end of February. When our
reporter interviewed, he said that he wrote this new blog post after
receiving many SMS calling to boycott Carrefour. "Those sentiments
were spreading like an infectious disease. It was worrisome.

He Yanguang said that he expected to be condemned
for writing this blog post. But he said, "For someone who has been to
prison before, what is the big deal of being cursed out? I will only
feel sad for them. If this is patriotic, then patriotism is too
simplistic. Some of the current opinions contain a Cultural Revolution
flavor. I respect anyone who oppose me in a rational way. But if
all you know is to toss out curses, I will look down on you. When you
only curse, you embarrass those who share your ideas but prefer to be
rational.

He felt that we should face the diversified
international voices with rationality and tolerance. To best way to
deal with inaccurate international media reporting is to open up
information.

Finally, he told the reporter that blind boycott of
foreign countries will only harm China. This is the era of
globalization, so why can't we accept that point?

On April 16, many netizens were surprised to find a
sea of red hearts when they opened up their MSN Messenger service.
Their friends have all added a red heart and "CHINA" in front of their
names. Netizens described this as a grand sight.

With the background of certain organizations and
individuals proposing to boycott the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese netziens
used their own method to express their support for the Beijing Olympics.
According to MSN, by 3pm on April 16, more than 2.3 million netizens have
signed their names with Red Heart China.

At MSN, the method was to add (L)China in front of
the user name. At QQ, the users add /xinChina. That would be
displayed as a red flag in front of 'China.' Some netizens said that
compared to the boycott of Carrefour and other French products, this method
of expression is more peaceful, uncontroversial and easy to participate.

The campaign began at 8am when netizens posted the
instructions to add the Red Heart China/Red Flag China in front of the user
names. This signature method has spilled out from mainland China to
the overseas Chinese websites.

The only controversy left was about where one should
type "CHINA" or "China." There were clearly more "CHINA"s out there
than "China"s, but some netizens insisted that "China" is the correct way.

If the proposed boycott of Carrefour split netizens
into opposing camps, then this new signature pre-fix campaign reached
universal consensus. Even those who decline to join in did not raised
doubts. Many people think that boycotting Carrefour and other French
goods was too extreme and therefore against the basic beliefs of many
people. It may also harm China and create hostility between the
Chinese and French people. As a result, even more foreigners will
boycott the Olympics." "We cannot afford to actually help the Olympic
boycott through the process of opposing some of the people involved in the
boycott. There is no problem with the red hearts. It is a nice
sight to see a see of red. I'll willing to participate!" said netizen
"streetline."

[014] The Jin
Jing Conspiracy Theory (04/16/2008) This was so moronic that I
did not feel that I have to deal with it. But it seems that some people
are looking here for the definitive answer. So I am going to do a Q&A
using ready-made answers that others have already made.

This is the Jin Jing story, which I provided in The Olympic Torch Tour As Public Relations
Disaster. I characterized this
incident as a heaven-sent public relations coup that would cement the rule of
the Chinese Communists for the next generation. That is just an
assertion and not falsifiable at this. time. But this has just been
further borne out by the "Heart China" campaign that is sweeping MSN in China
(see Hecaitou's blog):

The conspiracy theory is that the entire Jin Jing
incident was manufactured by the Chinese government precisely to achieve this
public relations coup. As usual with such conspiracy theory, the
conclusion is reached first. Then all the known evidence is marshalled
to support that thesis. If there are some inconvenient truths that
contradict that thesis, they are swept under the rug.

Question: Everybody knows that the torch bearers
are encircled by the contingent of Chinese People's Armed Police dressed in
the blue/white track suits. These security guys were immensely
protective. At London, they even clashed with the local police over the
protection. The British Olympics Committee president was shoved aside
three times to prevent him from getting near the torch bearer. Such
being the case, then where were these people when Jin Jing was attacked?
Jin Jing was a physically handicapped person who needed extra help.
Where were those security guys? Did they intentionally stay away to
allow the attack on Jin taken place?Answer: Read the eyewitness accounts in
The Olympic Torch Tour As Public Relations
Disaster and then watch the video at
Dailymotion. The blue/white security guys were assigned to
protect the flame bearer. At the time of the attack on Jin Jing, she was
not the flame bearer as she was only holding an unlit torch. She was
moving towards the rendezvous point for the handover, where the torch bearer
would use his lit torch to light her torch. There were not enough
blue/white Chinese security guards to adequately protect each and every torch
bearer on the route the whole time. They only followed the flame bearer.
If there was a conspiracy to allow the attacker to get near her, it was
perpetrated by the French gendarmes, because they were the only visible
protectors seen in the video.

Question: Why did Jin Jing deliberately turn
off the flame on her torch in order to allow her attacker to approach her?
Answer: Read the eyewitness accounts in
The Olympic Torch Tour As Public Relations
Disaster: Jin Jing did not have a lit torch as she was only moving to
the rendezvous point to meet the flame bearer. The photos that showed
her holding a lit torch were taken after the flame was passed to her after the
attack.

Question: Chinese netizens noted that there is
another photo with the attacker of Jin Jing, in which he is walking down a
path. The first thing to note that is that there are four five-star
Chinese national flags and three Tibetan Snow-Mountain-Lion flags in this one
photo. The netizens wanted to know: Why are these people from opposite
camps walking calmly next to each other? Why are they not at blows with
each other?

Answer: Why do you expect people from different camps
to physically assault each other upon sighting? What kind of assumption
is that? Oh, yes, this may be how they do things in China. For
example, in Are The Anti-Japanese Demonstrations Spontaneous or Stage-Managed?,
the Chinese demonstrators marched towards the Japanese consulate in Shanghai
and smashed the Japanese restaurants and vehicles that they saw on the way.
Those facilities and products can hardly be held responsible for the revision
of Japanese history textbooks. Maybe that is normal and expected
behaviour in China. But when you are in Paris, you observe Parisian
rules on such matters. You can look at the beginning of the Dailymotion video and you can see the crowd have a mixture of
people waving the Chinese national flag, the Tibetan snow-mountain-lion flag
and the black RSF five-handcuffs flag. Do you see any street fighting?
If you expect that a fight should break out whenever the two camps get close,
then there should have been fights breaking out all over Paris. Do you
recall any media story saying: "Fights and melees broke out all over Paris
today as Tibetan separatists and China supporters clashed and fought with
fists, rocks, sticks and poles"? All I found is this AP
report: "Outside, a few French activists supporting Tibet had a
fist-fight with pro-Chinese demonstrators. The French activists spat on them
and shouted, "Fascists!"" This doesn't cut it, does it? If you
think violence should have occurred, then it is your projection of your own
predilection for violence. You are saying that you would have
attacked the other side if you were out there. All I can say is: Shame
on you! But these people are in Paris and they don't have to obey your
rules.

Question: In the above photo, the woman on the left
appeared to be the patriotic overseas Chinese woman Qiu Yu who was interviewed
by CCTV. She explained on camera that a dark-skinned friend of hers was
offered 300 Euros by some unidentified person to do something. Thus,
this photo is proof that Qiu Yu's friend is that attacker of Jin Jing.

Answer: (Mutant
Palm) "Why is this even being discussed? So a girl who kinda
looks like a girl who said a friend with dark skin, who maybe is the guy that
she, if it really is her, passed on a road going to the protest in a photo,
was offered money by some unnamed guy who wanted him to do who knows what.
Huh?" Of course, this can be discussed --- if you don't require me to
make multiple leaps of faith.

After participating in the activities involving the
lighting of the Olympic flame, I went on to another series of job
assignments. But I continued to pay attention every day to the
progress of the Olympic torch relay.

Seven years ago, I watched with my family the
announcement that Beijing had won the right to host the Olympics. At
that moment, I shed emotional and proud tears. I deeply believe that I
was not the only one. People expect the Olympics -- whether it is
hosted in Atlanta, Sydney or Greece -- to be a sports gala event as well as
a meeting for peace and friendship. Countries at war even hold
ceasefire for the sake of the Olympics. Yet, after the unhappy
incidents during the torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco, I
deeply sensed the ulterior motives of certain western politicians and the
biases of western media. They stand in sharp contrast to the desire
and expectations of the decent people around the world for the Beijing
Olympics.

When I walk down the streets of the United States, I
am often proud of my motherland. The prosperity and beauty of Beijing
and Shanghai are no less than any American city. When I speak with
people in the business sector of the United States, they all feel that the
steadily developing China has made huge contributions to the world. In
recent years, we have lived through certain hardships, such as SARS, the
snow storms, the avian flu ... but we came through and maintained our high
economic growth rate.

Walking down the streets of Beijing late at night, I
deeply realized why we are able to have peace and prosperity. In the
United States, there has just been four cases of school campus shootings
with many dead innocent children. I don't understand why certain
western media would applaud the recent riots in Tibet. Why couldn't
they see the innocent lost lives which came as a result of arson and
physical battery? China is becoming strong and powerful, and they
don't like the former "Sick man of East Asia" to have the same standing as
they do. On further thought, I thought that I should be content
because this shows that China is going down the correct and peaceful path.
We should continue to do so with determination ...

The beautiful Olympic flame will begin the next
stop. I will pray for that, just as I pray that our motherland will
become better and prettier tomorrow. The sacred flames will bring
blessings to ever more countries and peoples. The spirit of the
Olympics is about peace, progress and the enjoyment of the good life
together.

Pro-Tibetan protesters have disrupted the Olympic
torch relay as it travels around the world. One such disruption happened in
San Francisco last week. There were so many protesters and such heavy
security, the torch relay changed routes several times to keep people from
interfering. Still, the relay had to be cut short. The situation
looked the same in London just days earlier. Protests there erupted right
after the torch left Wembley Stadium. Demonstrators at some points tried to
grab the torch from runners, causing lots of commotion. At least 30 people
were arrested.

What happened in London has disrupted the life of a
Tibetan here in Utah. He's received a lot of threats in what appears to be a
case of mistaken identity. A group of Tibetans have gathered at the Indian
Walk-In Center. There is a vigil going on to pray for those suffering under
Chinese rule in Tibet. One man there has been a part of protests in San
Francisco, but he's being blamed for something that happened thousands of
miles away, in London.

Lobsang Gendun, a Tibetan immigrant, said, "I
totally support the Olympics. I want the Olympics to be held in China so
that Chinese people will be exposed to the outside world." But Gendun
also wants the world to know about what he says is going on in his native
Tibet. "There's no freedom of religion, there's no freedom of expression,"
he said.

Last week, Gendun traveled to San Francisco for a
protest during the 2008 Olympic torch relay. His life hasn't been the same
since. "First, I didn't know what was going on. My family, they were so
scared."

His phone began to ring in the middle of the night.
At first, they were hang-ups. More calls followed with threatening and
obscene messages. Messages left on his answering machine include, "Hey, I
wish you to die and go to Hell (obscenity)," and, "Please remember that if
you want to be an enemy of the whole Chinese people, then you are doomed,
OK?" The calls kept coming, even during our interview this afternoon.
Gendun has also received more than 100 threatening emails. All of this is
because they think Gendun is the man in a picture taken as the Olympic torch
passed through London. A protester tried to take the torch from a girl in a
wheelchair.

Gendun says he's responded to some of the emails,
and even tried to talk to some of the callers to explain they're
misinformed. "Sometimes they will just swear at me, and I say, 'Thank you,
thank you'. That's all I say," he told us. The calls are coming from
all over the world, including China and New York. Gendun doesn't know how he
got mistaken for the man in London. If the calls continue, though, Gendun
says he'll go to the police.

[010] Can You
Read Sideways? (04/15/2008) Previously, the Anti-CNN.com
crowd found this photo from the German magazine Bild. The photo
accompanied reader comments about whether there should be a boycott of the
Beijing Olympics. In the absence of any explanation, the reader would
get the impression that the photo came from Tibet (China).

The Chinese mediahunters found the original agency
photo from which Bild cropped a section. The cropped out section
shows Nepali policemen, including one carrying a shield with the word "Nepal"
on it. The agency photograph was accompanied by the caption: "A monk,
injured after a beating by the police, lies on a road in front of the Chinese
Embassy's visa section office in Kathmandu March 25, 2008. Nepali police
charged at protesting Tibetans with bamboo batons on Tuesday, injuring some
monks and detaining dozens of others." Bild offered
no description for this cropped photo.

When asked by Chinese media to comment, Bild took some
time and then updated the page. Here is the new
page.

There is now some text on the bottom of the photo:
"More than one hundred Tibetan exile protestors arrested." But just
reading this would still make you think that this was happening inside China.
To find the location, you have to turn your head and the sideway text on the
right hand side: "A monk in Kathmandu (Nepal)."

(Wen
Wei Po) According to the spokesperson for Bild: "When the
photo was initially used, we forgot to add an explanatory text. We have
now corrected that. We believe that the other problems that you mentioned
are solved."

[009] Hong Kong
By The Numbers (04/14/2008) (1,099 persons interviewed by
telephone on April 9-11, 2008)

Q1. Do you want to Beijing Olympics to be
held successfully?95%: Yes
2%: No
3%: No opinion

Q2. Do you support the Olympic torch relay?90%: Yes
4%: No
6%: No opinion

Q3. Certain organizations are interfering
with the Olympic torch relay, including attempts to grab the torch or
extinguish the flame. 5%: Support
5%: Accept
43%: Displeased
40%: Infuriated
7%: No opinion

Q4. Do you believe the interfering with the
Olympic torch relay hurts the Olympic spirit?84%: Yes
9%: No
7%: No opinion

Q7. There will be an Olympic torch relay in
Hong Kong. Certain groups indicated that they will hold protest
demonstrations. Do you find that ...?24%: Acceptable
58%: Unacceptable
18%: No opinion

I thought that it was very inappropriate for certain
bloggers to tell the oveseas Chinese to go back to China for marchers
against the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan independence movement. I admit
that some of those marchers may be so-called "brain-dead angry young
people," but most of them are not that blind. From the BBS comments,
many of those also dislike the Chinese government and its policies.

I feel that many people are supporting the protests
because they thought that the western world should hear different voices,
because the media around them are providing one-sided views and information
just as the Chinese government does.

The march organizers repeatedly emphasized that they
only want to tell the facts and let the Americans have more information that
they are not aware of and also to let certain media see and report on
different viewpoints.

These activities were organized spontaneously by
overseas Chinese people and the funds came in the form of donations.
Even the Chinese Students and Scholars Association which is sponsored by the
Chinese Embassy refuses to carry any information about these marches and
protests in its newsletter because it would create the impression of
official Chinese connections.

I don't understand why these bloggers can be very
tolerant about the Tibetan separatists who are organized and funded by
backers attacking a landmark sports event, but they are totally sarcastic
towards the spontaneously organized overseas Chinese who are unhappy about
the "brainwashing" in western media ... These Chinese people have the same
rights and freedom of assembly and speech as the Tibetan separatists and the
FLG people in the United States. They only want to express their own
views. What is wrong with that? ...

=============================================

Q&A:

Why should the nationalistic sentiments of the
Tibetans be affirmed?
Because they are seeking democracy and freedom.

Why should the nationalistic sentiments of the Han
people be reviled?
Because they are brain-dead.

Why are so many people in the world against us?
Could it be that they have their reasons?
Of course we need to reflect on this, because they could have their own
reasons.

Many overseas Chinese are angry. Could it be
that they have their reasons?
No, because they are all brain-dead.

The Tibetans exercise their rights to protest the
torch relay. Isn't this a normal exercise of their rights?
Of course. This is a democratic society.

The Han exercise their rights to cheer the torch
relay. Isn't this a normal exercise of their rights?
Normal? They are just a bunch of brain-dead people.

Shouldn't the people who oppose the Communists and
seek freedom and democracy go back back to China? Otherwise, they seem
silly and cowardly?
Why? One can express one's ideas anywhere.

Shouldn't the patriotic, nationalistic angry young
people go back to China? Otherwise they seem silly and cowardly?
Of course, because they are all brain-dead.

How come this sense of superiority feel so cheap?
...

[007] The
Recorded History of the Biggest Riot in History
(04/14/2008) (via Heicaitou's
blog) This is a cartoon about the Internet battle between
users of China.com and supporters of Southern Metropolis Daily over Chang Ping's
opinion essay How To Find The Truth About Lhasa?.
On the left, the slogans are: Freedom of speech; firmly support Southern
Metropolis Daily; universal values; defecation ditch (referring to China.com
as a collection of shitty angry young people); long live freedom and
democracy; China.com is retarded. On the right, the slogans are: the
elites are ruining the country; chase away the rightists at Southern
Metropolis, the Chinese traitors at the KDnet forum and the running dogs at
Tianya forum; oppose peaceful evolution; down with foreign lackies and
compradores; democracy puts the nation in danger. The ocean is known as
the "underwater" area in reference to netizens who only read and never write.
The little island is for the spectators. The disclaimer under the title
on top says: Purely for entertainment and one should not think that this was
about any particular person.

[006] Hong Kong
By The Numbers (04/14/2008) (HKU
POP) (1,017 Hong Kong residents interviewed between March 12 an
14, 2008 by telephone) "Since June 1993 and continuously for 15 years,
POP has been regularly surveying Hong Kong people’s opinion on the
independence of Taiwan and Tibet, as part of our survey series on national
issues." This survey was conducted before the Lhasa disturbance
occurred.

Tibet independence?11%: Support
71%: Oppose

Taiwan independence?12%: Support
80%: Oppose

Historical trend chart:

[005] Chinese
Human Flesh Search Engine Goes Global (04/11/2008) Maybe you
think that this phenomenon of mobilizing the Internet population to track down
specific individuals or facts exists only inside China. But the power is
in fact global because of the size of the overseas Chinese Communities.
Please note: the USA may have a higher Internet penetration percentage than
China, but it is certain that Americans cannot hope to track down someone in
China.

Utah
Tibetans were willing to lie down, sit en masse, storm the streets and shout
taunts during the 2008 Olympic Torch Relay here today to highlight what they
see as Chinese mistreatment of Tibetans. But no extreme actions were
necessary.

The Utah
contingent simply joined the throngs of Tibetans and other protestors lining
the streets of San Francisco and repeatedly engaging in tense verbal battles
with Chinese Americans, making it impossible for the torch carriers to run
the planned route.

...

"We just
want to let the whole world know something bad is going on in Tibet," said
44-year-ld Lobsang Gendun, a machinist at O.C. Tanner Company in Salt Lake
City. Gendun was raised among the exiled Tibetans living in northern India.
"We do not want to do violence. We just hope that because of the
demonstrations and protest that the Chinese government will talk to the
Dalai Lama." ...

(in translation) The brain-dead stupid cunt is
named Lobsang Gandan and he resides in Salt Lake City, USA. This
bastard was arrested in London for attacking a torch bearer. He was
released immediately and he went to Paris to cause more trouble. There
are only just a few Tibetan separatists who travel around the world to smear
China. Here is the detailed information:

[Question: There is still a doubt about whether
Lobsang Gendun is the person who grabbed Jin Jing, since the search process
does not explain how he was identified in the first place. Once there
was a name, the other information flows naturally (Salt Lake Tribune -> O.C.
Tanner -> Salt Lake City -> Utah Tibetan Association to get telephone number
-> Reverse telephone directory look-up to get address -> Google Maps/Earth
-> physical reconnaissance to find a Toyota Corolla and a modified Dodge
Neon parked outside the house, etc). But how did the name come up
initially? The London police arrest record?]

Pro-Tibetan protesters have disrupted the Olympic
torch relay as it travels around the world. One such disruption happened in
San Francisco last week. There were so many protesters and such heavy
security, the torch relay changed routes several times to keep people from
interfering. Still, the relay had to be cut short. The situation
looked the same in London just days earlier. Protests there erupted right
after the torch left Wembley Stadium. Demonstrators at some points tried to
grab the torch from runners, causing lots of commotion. At least 30 people
were arrested.

What happened in London has disrupted the life of a
Tibetan here in Utah. He's received a lot of threats in what appears to be a
case of mistaken identity. A group of Tibetans have gathered at the Indian
Walk-In Center. There is a vigil going on to pray for those suffering under
Chinese rule in Tibet. One man there has been a part of protests in San
Francisco, but he's being blamed for something that happened thousands of
miles away, in London.

Lobsang Gendun, a Tibetan immigrant, said, "I
totally support the Olympics. I want the Olympics to be held in China so
that Chinese people will be exposed to the outside world." But Gendun
also wants the world to know about what he says is going on in his native
Tibet. "There's no freedom of religion, there's no freedom of expression,"
he said.

Last week, Gendun traveled to San Francisco for a
protest during the 2008 Olympic torch relay. His life hasn't been the same
since. "First, I didn't know what was going on. My family, they were so
scared."

His phone began to ring in the middle of the night.
At first, they were hang-ups. More calls followed with threatening and
obscene messages. Messages left on his answering machine include, "Hey, I
wish you to die and go to Hell (obscenity)," and, "Please remember that if
you want to be an enemy of the whole Chinese people, then you are doomed,
OK?" The calls kept coming, even during our interview this afternoon.
Gendun has also received more than 100 threatening emails. All of this is
because they think Gendun is the man in a picture taken as the Olympic torch
passed through London. A protester tried to take the torch from a girl in a
wheelchair.

Gendun says he's responded to some of the emails,
and even tried to talk to some of the callers to explain they're
misinformed. "Sometimes they will just swear at me, and I say, 'Thank you,
thank you'. That's all I say," he told us. The calls are coming from
all over the world, including China and New York. Gendun doesn't know how he
got mistaken for the man in London. If the calls continue, though, Gendun
says he'll go to the police.

[004]
More Ammunition For Anti-CNN.com (04/11/2008) (Anti-cnn.com)
Here is a story in
The Times with this caption accompanying the photo: "At several points
the torch bearers ran along roads deserted except for their security guards."
The photo is not necessarily fake and the words may be factually correct.
But the words do not match the photo at that moment, because the men (with
black helmets, black clothes and sunglasses) behind the red-white torch bearers and the
blue-white security guards are local policemen. Did the person who placed the
caption under the photo even take a look?

[003]
More Photos Circulated On Chinese Internet (04/11/2008) (KDnet)
More image building photos for Tibet independence.

From
The Hong Kong Standard: "Meanwhile, the
Tibetan government in exile said it did not support the disruption of the
Olympic torch relay around the world." But the Chinese netizens will
only remember these photos and know nothing about that disclaimer.

[002]
Coca-Cola Bails Out (04/11/2008) (Global Times via 6Park)
Recall the Coca-cola head in the convenience store in Bremen (Germany)?
This was even reported in The Guardian.

At noon on April 10, Coca-Cola sent a formal statement
to Global Times:

Recently, certain Chinese bloggers and forums
carried a photo of a Coca-Cola advertisement. That advertisement was
part of the 2003 series with the theme of "Make It Real" to promote sales in
Germany. The theme was to encourage people to try new things and enjoy
life. The series contains more than a dozen different advertisements
featuring people from different walks of life enjoying themselves in
different situations.

This advertisement did not contain any political or
religious background and it is unrelated to Tibet independence. We
regret that this old advertisement should become misunderstood by certain
Chinese bloggers and forum users who were not aware of its background.
We respect the feelings of Chinese consumers. This old advertisement
at the Bremen train station has been taken down on the same day.

Coca-Cola is an apolitical organization, and one of
the accommodating brands in the world. Coca-Cola provides services to
consumers in more than 200 countries of different cultures, religions and
histories. Coca-Cola and its local bottling partners will follow
international business practice and not interfere or participate in any
political or religious affairs in any country. We adhere to this
position in every country around the world.

Coca-Cola began supporting and sponsoring the
Olympics in 1928. For 80 years, we have continued to support the
Olympic movement around the world. As a partner of the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the Olympic torch relay, we are actively participating in this
global athletic competition.

[001]
More Greatest Hits From Western Media (04/11/2008) (Anti-CNN.com)
From N-TV, there was a
photo taken from a street theater performance in which people dressed up as
Chinese soldiers and driving a cardboard tank beat Tibetan demonstrators (see
photos of the scene from
Facebook and
Mother Jones). N-TV added the caption: "Before the torch relay,
Chinese and Tibetan demonstrators clashed." Can one blame the Chinese
for losing confidence in western media with this continuous stream of
examples?